Provision of Welfare to Irregular Migrants, 2013

An increasing number of 'irregular migrants' poses major challenges for welfare states. While they are defined as outside of society, human rights ideologies still require that certain measures be taken by authorities to secure a minimum standard of living.This project investigated the Norwegian welfare system's assessment of irregular migrant's rights and their actual social and health situation from a combined legal and social science approach, and examined the complex relationship between law, institutional practice, and migrants' lived experience. Researchers from law, sociology, social anthropology and political science, collaborated in the project. Methods included law analysis, ethnographic fieldwork and qualitative interviews. The theoretical framework was defined by traditional and critical legal perspectives and by anthropological theories of law and of the body.

The project consisted of two separate, yet interwoven parts: 1) A legal study of national and international rules applying to welfare provisions to irregular migrants 2) A social scientific study of irregular migrant's access to, use and trust of social welfare institutions and how they experience being in an irregular situation. Focus was on welfare provisions in the areas of health and school/education and on how irregularity affects the lives of children. The component projects was related to the overarching research questions as stated in the primary and secondary objectives, working on a) international and national legal norms b) institutional practices and attitudes c) informal social networks d) migrants' experiences, agency and embodiment e) children's particular situation. Overall, the project's investigation of how 'irregularity' was legally, institutionally, socially, and culturally constructed and experienced offered much needed research-based knowledge of the consequences of present welfare policies and practices.

For further information about ”Provision of Welfare to 'Irregular Migrants', 2013”, please contact the principal investigator.